Wednesday, July 29, 2015

I had, tentatively, concert tickets within reach ... but, sadly, they slipped out of reach. Try as I may, I could not lay my hands upon another pair of tickets.

It was very disappointing. My friend Rob Stolik and I were looking forward to watching Zappa Plays Zappa at the Phoenix Conert Theatre. The Phoenix is on Sherbourne - so close to where I live, it would have been perfect!

However, Rob and I had a wonderful time anyway. He came over to my place around 5:00, said hi to the cats, admired my new artwork, and agreed with me about my suggestion that we go out for dinner at Hair of the Dog.

We sat on the patio and almost died of the heat, but the food was delicious and we were entertained by a squirrel that kept mooching food from us! At the end, the little guy was so insistant that the waiter just had to come and chase him away. The squirrel was very cute and entertaining, but he still wasn't Dweezil Zappa!

Today, I thought I'd go with Marjie to see Yuula's art show at 401 Richmond. Bloody hell! I thought it was from 11-5pm, so I drove my wheelchair in the sweltering heat and drove fast to get there before it closed. But by the time I got there, my battery was losing it's juice and then Yuula came out and said "what are you doing here so early"? "The show doesn't start until 5pm". I told her that I was sorry but I had to go because I was worried about my chair and I had Brittany coming to meet me at my place at 5:00.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

I sent out invitations for my birthday party in August. Many people said yes, they'd love to come. Others have yet to RSVP, but, of course, there's still lots of time.

Before dinner, I looked through a couple carousels of slides. I have about 80 left of my father's collection. He was an avid photographer.

As you can imagine, I felt many emotions as I looked through the slides: joy; sadness; wonder; curiosity; nostalgia.

I also felt very thoughtful. Here in these pictures my parents were in the first bloom of married life; my grandparents, aunts and uncles made an occasional guest appearance. And then, Bruce and I started to pop up, first as babies and then as toddlers.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Last night and early this morning, my weather app told me that there was a 60% chance of thunderstorms all afternoon and evening.

Because my wheelchair has been acting up, making weird grinding noises and all, I was rather hesitant about going to the market. (Rain is never a good thing for power wheelchair at the best of times. Add thunder/lightning and a flawed mechanism to the equation and it becomes somewhat of a risky business.)

I decided to take a chance and just go for it. In the end, I was very glad I had gone to the market. There had been no rain, no thunderstorms - and ironically, barely any customers!

Despite only making $60.00, it felt good to get out and chat with different people. It also felt wonderful to have the sun beam down on me, while a temperate breeze kept me cool.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

M: It wasn't the regular guy who made it. You know the one we were chatting to yesterday outside of Maple Leaf Gardens.

Me: Uh-huh. I like him.

M: Me too. Well, it was the other guy who made your drink today. You know the guy. He's East Indian too, but taller and less gay.

Me: Mmm ....

M (with a chuckle): Well, actually, I'm not sure if he's gay or not. He seems kind of straight .... (after a pause) I tend to like hanging out with gay people. Straight people just seem kind of boring.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Like I said, I had a relaxing and pleasant day yesterday playing hookey from the market. It was good for my physical and mental health. I don't give myself enough breaks to sit back and enjoy life.

And yet ....

I still think perhaps I should have gone to the maket ... because ... because what if I don't have very much more time there? The management of the market has assured me that I will be able to keep selling my artwork there for as I want to. And yet, what if they're not true to their word? What then?

In recent weeks, one of my fellow vendors has told me just how distraught she feels over the management's decision to evict all of the vendors (except me and those who sell food) by August. Most of these vendors have no other source of income; they feel like the rug has suddenly been yanked from under their feet.

Bastards!

As I say, the management of the St Lawrence Market has assured me that I will be able to keep
selling my artwork there for as I want to. What if they're not
true to their word? What then? And do I even want to stay at a place where management has no regard for the vendors whoi have worked for them for years?!

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Because of the extreme heat warning and 60% chance of thunderstorms, I decided not to go to the market today.

Was it the right call? Well, there were no thunderstorms, but it sure was hot! 40o C with the humidex! Last week at the market, there was no AC and I almost melted. I was afraid that this might be the case today - except much worse!

I had a lazy/productive/fun day. I slept until noon, worked a bit, and had dinner at Cafe Californnia with Brittainy.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

I've been so busy all day. It wasn't painting that kept me busy, although it was art related.

For most of the day, I uploaded images to a website called Fine Art America. Once the images are uploaded, there are options to design items like cards; throw pillows; duvet covers; and, phone cases. Unlike Vistaprint (the site from where I usually get my merchandise), people can order directly from Fine Art America instead of me. This means less expense and work for me! Hopefully, more profitts for me too.